1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cassette for holding and transporting a plurality of substrates, particularly substrates such as liquid crystal panels.
2. Prior Art
Nowadays, various kinds of substrates including glass substrates are extensively used in the manufacturing of LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays), plasma displays and hybrid ICs (Integrated Circuits). In general, the substrates are loaded into a substrate cassette for storage or transportation. The cassette can conveniently hold a plurality of the substrates. This kind of means is in widespread use for carrying a plurality of substrates between fabrication stations in a factory or between factories.
A conventional cassette is shown in FIG. 4. The cassette 10 includes a top plate 2, a bottom plate 12, and two side plates 4 interconnecting the top plate 2 and the bottom plate 12. The side plates 4 have a plurality of parallel supporting members 8 protruding inwardly therefrom. The top plate 2, the bottom plate 12 and the side plates 4 cooperatively form a space 7 therebetween, for accommodating substrates inserted along the supporting members 8. The cassette 10 also includes several stopper rods 5 for retaining the substrates therein.
However a factory generally handles various sizes of substrates. When differently sized substrates need to be stored or transported, a new cassette for each size of substrate is needed. This increases the cost of storage and transportation.
Therefore, it is desired to provide a new cassette which overcomes the above-described disadvantages of conventional cassettes.